Tadeusz Kossak (1 January 1857 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

– 3 July 1935 in Górki Wielkie), was born into a noted Polish family of artists and writers. He was an officer in the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history str ...

, a freedom fighter, and owner of a country estate in Górki Wielkie that became a hub for intellectuals of the era. He was the father of writer, activist, and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

resistance fighter

Zofia Kossak-Szczucka Zofia Kossak-Szczucka ( (also Kossak-Szatkowska); 10 August 1889 – 9 April 1968) was a Polish writer and World War II resistance fighter. She co-founded two wartime Polish organizations: Front for the Rebirth of Poland and Żegota, set up t ...

Biography

He was the son of the celebrated painter

Juliusz Kossak Juliusz Fortunat Kossak (Nowy Wiśnicz, 15 December 1824 – 3 February 1899, Kraków) was an Austrian Polish History painting, historical painter and master illustrator who specialized in battle scenes, military portraits and horses. He was the ...

, and twin brother to another noted painter,

Wojciech Kossak Wojciech Horacy Kossak (31 December 1856 – 29 July 1942) was a noted Polish painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of artists and writers. He was the son of painter Juliusz Kossak, and twin brother of freedom fighter Tadeusz Kos ...

. After the family's return to Poland from his birthplace of France, Kossak attended school first in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

and later in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...

. He came to prominence in 1906 when he was arrested for political activism against

Imperial Russian The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

authorities and the foreign occupation of Poland. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, in 1917, he joined the

Polish Corps Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki (Iosif Romanovich while in the Russian military; sometimes also Dowbór-Muśnicki; ; 25 October 1867 – 26 October 1937) was a Russian military officer and Polish general, serving with the Imperial Russian and then P ...

fighting for Polish independence. In 1922 with his wife Anna (née Kisielnicka), he moved from

Kresy Wschodnie Eastern Borderlands ( pl, Kresy Wschodnie) or simply Borderlands ( pl, Kresy, ) was a term coined for the eastern part of the Second Polish Republic during the interwar period (1918–1939). Largely agricultural and extensively multi-ethnic, it ...

in Eastern Poland to Górki Wielkie near

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; cs, Těšín ; german: Teschen; la, Tessin; szl, Ćeszyn) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabita ...

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...

. There they leased from the state a country estate where they hosted many intellectuals of the period, including

Jan Parandowski __NOTOC__ Jan Parandowski (11 May 1895 – 26 September 1978) was a Polish writer, essayist, and translator. Best known for his works relating to classical antiquity, he was also the president of the Polish PEN Club between 1933 and 1978, wit ...

Maria Dąbrowska Maria Dąbrowska (; born Maria Szumska; 6 October 1889 – 19 May 1965) was a Polish writer, novelist, essayist, journalist and playwright, author of the popular Polish historical novel ''Noce i dnie'' (Nights and Days) written between 1932 and 19 ...

Jan Sztaudynger Jan Izydor Sztaudynger (Kraków, 28 April 1904 – 12 September 1970, Kraków) was a Polish poet and satirist who enjoyed enormous popularity after World War II. Life Jan Sztaudynger studied Polish and German philology at Kraków's Jagiellonian ...

Melchior Wańkowicz Melchior Wańkowicz (10 January 1892 – 10 September 1974) was a Polish army officer, popular writer, political journalist and publisher. He is most famous for his reporting for the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II and writing ...

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, ''née'' Kossak (24 November 1891 – 9 July 1945), was a prolific Polish poet known as the ''Polish Sappho'' and "queen of lyrical poetry" during Poland's interwar period.

Magdalena Samozwaniec Magdalena Samozwaniec née Kossak ( Krakow, 26 July 1894 – 20 October 1972, Warsaw) was a Polish writer. The Kossak family is known for many artists including her father Wojciech Kossak, her brother Jerzy and sister Maria Maria may refer to: ...

, Jadwiga Witkiewicz, and her husband,

Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (; 24 February 188518 September 1939), commonly known as Witkacy, was a Polish writer, painter, philosopher, theorist, playwright, novelist, and photographer active before World War I and during the interwar period. ...

Dwor_Kossakow_-_Gorki_-_Ziemia_Cieszynska

In 1925 Kossak published his war memoires, ''Wspomnienia wojenne (1918-1920)'' about the war against The Bolsheviks. He was also the author of a book titled "''Jak to było w armii austriackiej''" - 'How it was in the Austrian Army' - published in 1927. He died in July 1935 and is buried in Górki Wielkie.http://poryte.4lomza.pl/index.php?k Kalendarium z 7-ką w życiorysach Niepospolitego Rodu Kossaków, date accessed 2014-02-03, Janusz M. Kotowski poryte.4lomza.pl

References

* ZKS Fundacja im. Zofii Kossak
Historia dworu Kossaków (''History of the Kossak Manor'')
official webpage of the Foundation *
Kalendarium Niepospolitego Rodu Kossaków
Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Ziemi Poryckiej {{DEFAULTSORT:Kossak, Tadeusz 1857 births 1935 deaths Polish independence activists Polish male writers People from Paris Polish Army officers Polish twins